Will Rick Perry talk religion to tea partiers tonight?

Perry may make faith a part of his tea party appeal. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

Gov. Rick Perry is expected to speak more about social security and government spending at tonight’s tea party debate, but the conservative gathering also might be the right audience for the governor to speak more about religion.

It’s no coincidence that members of the tea party are small on government, but big on Jesus. Both positions hinge on the idea of Christian Reconstructionism, which encourages a full trust in and dependency on God, rather than on government or any man-made institution, Sarah Posner pointed out on Religion Dispatches.

Perry’s worked this angle before, most publicly at his Response rally in Houston last month, which was inspired by the idea that God would be the key to America’s recovery.

“Our heart breaks for America,” he told the cheering, Christian crowd. “We see discord at home. We see fear in the marketplace. We see anger in the halls of government, and as a nation, we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, blesses us and for that we cry out for your forgiveness.”

That approach to politics and that kind of language did not come up during Perry’s debate debut last week, but Texas—and now most Americans—know it’s in him.

Religion professor and commentator Stephen Prothero recently wrote how the resurgence of Christian language in American politics made Perry’s candidacy possible, and an AP story cited the Texas governor as being particularly bold with Christianity during his campaign.

“Rick Perry dived right in,” the story said, calling his Christian-only event a week before his official announcement “a rare, full-on embrace of one religious tradition in the glare of a presidential contest.”

Among the tea partiers in Tampa, will Perry’s Christianity come through? The debate airs tonight at 7 on CNN. You can follow live coverage here at Perry Presidential, join ourcommentary on Twitter and check back for full coverage.